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Card battle hit 'Slay the Spire' comes to iOS
Mega Crit has surprise-released the hit card game 'Slay the Spire' for iOS.
'Gwent: The Witcher Card Game' finally arrives on Android
At long last, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game has made its way to Android after it debuted on iOS back in October. The Android release arrived almost a year to the day after CD Projekt Red announced it was working on smartphone versions of the free-to-play title.
Bethesda stops work on 'The Elder Scrolls: Legends'
It's not a good time for card battle games, apparently. Bethesda has put all The Elder Scrolls: Legends development "on hold" for an indefinite amount of time, effectively canceling both the console version and a planned card set. The game will still be fully playable, and you can expect in-game events and rewards. Beyond that, though, the game is effectively frozen in time.
Witcher card game 'Gwent' is shutting down on consoles
You're about to have one less option for card games on your console. CD Projekt Red has warned that it's shutting down Gwent on PS4 and Xbox One to focus on the PC and mobile versions. Between the recent release of the Witcher-themed title on iOS and its upcoming Android edition, there would be too many versions to support while still "improving feature parity between them," the studio said. You'll have a while to keep playing, but you'll start to notice the shutdown process very quickly.
Capcom's 'Teppen' card game pits Chun-Li against Dante
Capcom clearly couldn't resist the temptation to hop on the card game bandwagon. The gaming giant has teamed up with GungHo to release Teppen (no, not Tekken), a card battler for Android and iOS that revolves around better-known characters from Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, Darkstalkers and other classics. If you've ever wanted to see Chun-Li fight Dante or Morrigan take on Mega Man, you can make it happen.
Valve freezes updates on 'Artifact' to face 'deep-rooted' issues
Last year Valve launched a Dota 2 card game spin-off that took aim Hearthstone and Gwent, but according to the team, Artifact hasn't lived up to anyone's expectations. In a blog post, Valve announced it's dropping the old plan of developing a stream of gradual updates driven by conversations with the community. Instead it will "re-examine the decisions we've made along the way regarding game design, the economy, the social experience of playing, and more." Artifact represents the largest discrepancy between our expectations for how one of our games would be received and the actual outcome. But we don't think that players misunderstand our game, or that they're playing it wrong. Artifact now represents an opportunity for us to improve our craft and use that knowledge to build better games. At least one of those decisions could be the game's business model. As we noted when its release date appeared, those competing card games are free, while Artifact opted for a $20 starting price and made additional booster packs of cards available for an extra fee on top of that. That made it similar to traditional Magic: The Gathering, a game designed by Artifact's project lead, but, as RockPaperShotgun notes, could come off as stingy compared to both the big guns and even smaller alternatives like Shadowverse or Eternal. Valve made some big upgrades about a month after launch, but judging by the tone of the post -- or Steam Charts stats that count an average of just 353 simultaneous players over the last 30 days or reviews that are only 15 percent positive over the last 30 days or its fewer than ten viewers on Twitch -- it didn't help hold player's attention. Since then the team has been largely silent. Now it's entering a period of "process of experimentation and development" that's expected to take "significant" time, it's still unclear exactly what the future holds for Artifact, but at least Valve is acknowledging where things stand at the moment.
'The Elder Scrolls: Legends' is Bethesda's new strategy card game
The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a strategy card game (a la Hearthstone) heading to PC and iPad later this year. Bethesda announced Legends during its pre-E3 press conference and showed off a non-gameplay trailer showcasing the epic-ness involved in the Elder Scrolls universe.
Hearthstone expansion now live
Blizzard's first Hearthstone expansion is now live. Goblins vs. Gnomes boasts 120 new cards and "throws a big wrench into the way Hearthstone works," according to CEO Mike Morhaime. Logging into the game between now and December 19th will net you three free expansion card packs. You can obtain additional packs for either 100 in-game gold or real money. [Source: Blizzard press release]
Mighty Smighties: Battle of the smightiest
Players compete in real time matches or single player missions in their attempt to be the best card commander around in Mighty Smighties. Building a strong card deck and strengthening that deck is key to success when customizing a character's strategy and strengths. Mighty Smighties is compatible with iPhone 4 and up, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS 6.0 or later. Mighty Smighties is a card game where players try to defeat their opponent using element cards numbered with how powerful they are. Players win the round when their card's element beats their opponent's element or if they play the same card type, whoever has the highest number. There are three distinct battle modes: quest, random battle, and friends battle. In random battle, players are matched up with someone else online and their experience level varies from a level or two lower than you to many levels higher than you. The best matches are ones where your opponent is about the same level as you, it evens the playing field but even when matches are skewed, players still have fun and get a nice challenge out of facing off against someone of such a higher level. Friends battle is similar to random battle except players choose who to face off against. This is a nice addition that works well with the integrated Game Center support. This type of game encourages friendly competitions between friends which helps make it more fun for players. In quest mode, players compete against the computer in a single player mode where the opponent is of a similar skill level as the player. This is a great mode for beginners as they can test out new tactics to find out what works best for them in a less intimidating way. There are three different modes in quest mode as well, which adds to the variety of gameplay. The modes are normal, power, and epic which each have different rules as to what counts as a win. Normal mode is the basic mode where players defeat their opponent by having an element that beats another element, or having a higher strength number for that element. For instance, the water element beats air and earth, but if both players pick the same element, the strength number decides who wins. Power mode is a little different in that the card with the highest number wins and it introduces the overcharge meter which can boost the card's number by a certain number. Finally, epic mode is similar to power mode but the cards you play with are randomized and the overcharge meter includes negative values. In each mode, players have a 30 second time limit to select which card from their deck they want to play. This helps keep matches moving along at a good rate and adds some excitement to the gameplay. When players select the card they want to use, an animation plays where the winning card performs an action based on the element it represents. For instance, if the winning card is earth, a pile of leaves will fall on the loosing card. This adds some interest to what could easily have just been the cards moving off the screen and a point being added to the winner's score. Players can build their perfect deck by purchasing cards or booster packs in the store which uses coins and silver tokens, the in-game currency. Every day there is a featured card in the store that players can pick up at a discounted rate which keeps players coming back as the featured card could compliment their deck well. Mighty Smighties also includes a match 3 type of mini game called "Power Up" where players can earn more silver tokens. Players are given 45 seconds to make as many matches as they can which in turn, means how many silver tokens they earn as well. This mini game shows up again when players combine cards in their deck to make them more powerful. This combination comes at a price though as players have to sacrifice one card in the process. After selecting the two cards, players are sent to the match 3 mini game and this time the number of matches players make equals the amount the card gets improved. Mighty Smighties is free on the App Store and recommended as a cute, fun, and throughly enjoyable card game.
Hearthstone due out on smartphones early next year
The one thing that Hearthstone currently lacks in comparison to traditional card games is the simple portability of a deck of cards, but that deficiency will soon be rectified. A new update on the official site shares an infographic with players and talks turkey on the upcoming clients for iPhones and Android phones. The client for Android tablets is nearly finished and should be ready before the end of the year; the iPad version softlaunched last spring. But the iPhone client is taking just a little longer to polish up. As a result, the clients for these devices will not be ready until early next year. So you won't be able to bring the game with you on your phone to winter holiday gatherings in 2014, but before long, you'll be carrying an entire deck of cards in a device that is smaller than an actual deck of cards. We've included the game's playerbase infographic below.
RuneScape getting Hearthstone treatment with new card game
RuneScape developer Jagex revealed a new complementary game to the studio's MMO today, Chronicle: RuneScape Legends. Set in RuneScape's primary world, Gielinor, the game is of the collectible card-battling variety and "focuses on quest building, allowing players to craft their own miniature RPGs against enemies." The game first debuted at Jagex's RuneFest event in London over the weekend, and the developer said it's been quietly working on Chronicle: RuneScape Legends "since the start of the year." Jagex's announcement follows the recent success of Blizzard's Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, a card game based on the World of Warcraft universe. Hearthstone reached 20 million players as of September on PC, Mac and mobile platforms. Likewise, Chronicle: RuneScape Legends will launch in 2015 for PC and Mac as well as mobile and tablet devices. [Image: Jagex]
RuneScape announces Hearthstone-like card game
Hearthstone's success is hard to ignore in the industry, and it doesn't take much effort to connect the dots between that title's growth and Jagex's decision to develop an in-game card battler for RuneScape. The UK-based studio announced that it's making Chronicle: RuneScape Legends to be played inside of its popular MMO. Chronicle takes place inside a "magical book" that challenges players to use deck-building to create quests that can be completed through PvE and PvP card battles. "Your opponent will be creating quests in parallel with you, but watch out as they might try to steal your weapons or gold," the website states. "At the end of your quests you do battle, with the last person standing the victor!" According to Eurogamer, Jagex has been working on Chronicle since the beginning of the year to be released sometime in 2015 for the PC, Mac, and mobile devices. Chronicle is currently accepting beta sign-ups.
The Civil War gets steamy in Ironclad Tactics on Android
Paying attention to our Civil War lectures would have been a lot easier if the phrase "steam-powered robots" had been uttered a single time. Ironclad Tactics risks a few liberties with that chapter of history, and its tactical, card-based take on the United States' bloodiest conflict has now been dealt to tablets running Android OS 4.0 and up as a free download. Despite the presence of micro transactions, players can earn new cards just by playing the game. Ironclad Tactics' campaign follows Maxwell and Joseph, developers of "ironclad" infantry-esque robots, with the pair both being employed by the United States Navy's Bureau of Steam Engineering. After it's discovered that Confederate forces also have ironclads, Maxwell and Joseph are ordered to help fend them off with their own mechanized arsenal. Ironclad Tactics will also eventually march onto the PS4, but if you'd rather get started on a larger-than-tablet warfront right away, the $14.99 Steam version drops micro transactions in favor of add-on campaigns on PC, Mac and Linux. Should you still be undecided about a card-focused spin on history, glimpses of gameplay are shown in Ironclad Tactics' PS4 trailer after the break. [Image: Zachtronics]
Eminence: Xander's Tale lands on Kickstarter
Do you want a bit of MMO in your virtual card game? Because that can totally be a thing now. Eminence: Xander's Tale is an MMOTCG that isn't purely either of those things, blending card-slinging action with an explorable world and social hubs. Players will take part in battles via card games, but the exploration and upgrades will feel more familiar to veterans of other MMOs. The actual card battles will be familiar to anyone who took part in Final Fantasy VIII's Triple Triad, focused on matching numbers on different card faces along with utilizing various abilities and stealing opposing cards. If this sounds like your sort of jam, go ahead and drop a few dollars on it; there's still quite a bit of time left on its funding campaign and it's already passed the halfway mark.
WWE SuperCard superkicks 1.5 million downloads
2K's free mobile trading card game WWE SuperCard has been downloaded over 1.5 million times, the publisher revealed today. In the game, players put together a deck of cards composed of WWE superstars, then pit their stable against other players in both exhibition matches and King of the Ring-themed tournaments. WWE SuperCard launched roughly a week and a half ago for iOS and Android. The publisher noted that over 82 million victories were recorded in exhibition mode, and that over 575,000 King of the Ring tournaments were kicked off since the game launched. Players logged in to the game for over 18 million unique play sessions, which averaged about 14 minutes each time. The free-to-play game allows players to purchase in-game currency that unlocks card packs, which range in price from $1.99 to $25, to acquire the game's 400-plus unique cards. 2K said it intends to update the game's roster and introduce new cards in the future. [Image: 2K]
Obsidian rolls critical success, acquires Pathfinder RPG license
Good news for tabletop roleplaying fans who enjoy using a controller as much as rolling a 20-sided die: Obsidian, developers of South Park: The Stick of Truth and the upcoming Pillars of Eternity, have entered into a licensing agreement with publisher Paizo Inc. to produce games based on the Pathfinder tabletop RPG. Don't rush to the Arms & Equipment chapter to start preparing for an epic quest just yet though, as the first game will be an adaptation of the Pathfinder Adventure card game, where one to four players take on the role of classic fantasy RPG archetypes like fighter, rogue, wizard and cleric as they work together to defeat enemies. An associated press release notes that the game is in development for tablets, but does not specify which, nor does it give an expected release window. Pathfinder Online, the Pathfinder-based MMO, will stay with developer Goblin Works. [Image: Paizo]
The Witcher 3's 'Gwent' mini-game is quite a card
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will feature a card game within the open-world RPG, CD Project Red revealed. "Gwent" is a "fast-paced card game" invented by dwarves that includes four factions. Players duel with other characters using over 150 playing cards with multiple combat styles, heroes and spells. Gwent represents a "clash of two armies locked in mortal struggle on a battlefield," in which players' decks act as their forces. The developer also revealed the inclusion of bonus physical goodies for the Xbox One Collector's Edition of The Witcher 3. In addition to the 200-page artbook, medallion, steelbook and cases, limited edition Xbox One owners will receive a a cloth map of the game's world and two physical Gwent card decks. Best Buy, GameStop and Walmart listings peg the Collector's Edition at roughly $150. The Witcher 3 will launch on February 24, 2015 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. [Image: WBIE]
Hearthstone opens up the first wing of Naxxramas
Are you ready to take on Naxxramas in Hearthstone? Good! You can start now. The first wing of the new adventure is available to players today; it'll send you through the Arachnid Quarter in a trip down a spider-filled memory lane. If you're on the fence about trying it out, you can take on this wing for free now through early September (the exact date for the end of free access will be announced later on). Players will be able to purchase further wings of Naxxramas with either in-game currency or real money, with discounts available for bulk purchases. But you don't have to just hope you'll enjoy the adventure; you can log in and try it for yourself right now.
Blizzard serves up some Hearthstone tips
So maybe you've been playing some Hearthstone while waiting for the next World of Warcraft expansion to actually be a thing. That's not a difficult prospect if you're used to card games, but it's going to throw you for several loops if you haven't played them before. Senior designer Mike Donais has penned a new article full of tips for new players on how to build and play a new deck that can hold its own. Veteran card game players will probably already be familiar with most of the fundamentals -- start with a theme, have early-game cards, play with plenty of minions -- but it's all good advice. It also offers some suggestions for cards worth building around whether you want a fast and aggressive deck or a slow controlling force. Check out the full article for a few ways to improve and refine your deck, hopefully making you that much more formidable on the ground.
Blizzard feels 'validated' by Hearthstone's F2P model
So how long did it take for Blizzard Entertainment to feel that Hearthstone was right to adopt its free-to-play model? According to a recent interview at Eurogamer, the choice was validated when the game was still in beta. When streamers were reaching the top tier of play without having spent any money on the game, it reinforced the idea that players could do well without having to spend a great deal of money. Production designer Jason Cheyes mentions that there was always a concern that players would hit some sort of monetization wall, an impediment that the design team wanted to avoid. As it stands, while players can spend money to advance faster, winning matches and completing quests alone can serve to get gamers to the top -- and that's exactly what the design team wanted. It just so happens it saw it happening even during beta testing.
